Crab, Crab

Additionally, there are also many freshwater and terrestrial crabs, particularly in tropical regions. Crabs vary in size from the pea crab, only a few millimetres wide, to the Japanese spider crab, with a leg span of up to 4 m.

Although many other groups have also undergone similar processes of carcinisation, it is most advanced in crabs. The telson is no longer functional in crabs, and the uropods are absent, having probably evolved into small devices for holding the reduced abdomen tight against the sternum.

However, since crabs use the first two pairs of pleopods (abdominal appendages) for sperm transfer, this arrangement has changed. As the male abdomen evolved into a narrower shape, the gonopores have moved towards the midline, away from the legs, and onto the sternum.

They can communicate by drumming or waving their pincers. Crabs tend to be aggressive towards one another and males often fight to gain access to females.

For many crabs, a mixed diet of plant and animal matter results in the fastest growth and greatest fitness .

Some crabs are eaten whole, including the shell, as soft-shell crab; with other crabs it's just the claws and/or legs that are eaten. The latter is particularly common for larger crabs, such as the snow crab.

In Asia, Masala Crab and Chilli crab are examples of heavily spiced crab dishes. In Maryland, blue crab is often eaten with Old Bay Seasoning.

On the other side of the Atlantic, an American way to take advantage of the crab meat is by extracting it and adding a flour mix, creating a crab cake.

Norwegian scientists addressed this ethical issue by stating that crabs don't feel pain.

Source: Wikipedia > Crab